# Notebooks vs Metanote

The clearest difference is price: Metanote at Free against Notebooks's $17.99. Metanote also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). Notebooks's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 15). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Metanote is free to download; Notebooks costs $17.99 up front. Notebooks sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Metanote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Notebooks holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notebooks has 1.1K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Notebooks's written reviews are positive against 73% of Metanote's.

Notebooks ships an update monthly, Metanote every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notebooks | Metanote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $17.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebooks-write-and-organize/id1490084838/reviews)** | [4.3 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/metanote-notesdocsagenda/id6452550221/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 15 |
| Positive reviews | **82.3% of reviews** | 72.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 48 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Alfons Schmid](https://appshunter.io/developer/297571754) | [雪双 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/1698224749) |

## What reviewers say

### Notebooks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notebooks-write-and-organize/id1490084838)

This app helps you write, organize, and manage documents, tasks, and files. It offers flexible writing modes, robust organization tools, and task management features, all while ensuring your data remains accessible and under your control.

**Highlights:** Formatted text, plain text, and Markdown writing, Create documents with styles, tables, and attachments, Organize with nested hierarchies and 'books', Task management with due dates and checklists, Wiki-style linking and backlinks, Full-text search, Cross-device synchronization

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Custom Storage Locations | $2.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Generous Tip | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful and flexible organization
- 🔒 Respects user data and privacy
- 👍 Reliable and stable
- 👍 Responsive and helpful developer
- 👍 Elegant and intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and sync issues
- 🐛 Formatting and editing limitations
- 🐛 Steep learning curve for some users

**Reported bugs**

- Data loss after iOS upgrades
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Improved Markdown support
- More font and color customization options
- Better Apple Watch integration
- Export to Word format


### Metanote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/metanote-notesdocsagenda/id6452550221)

A privacy-focused offline editor that supports Org mode for writing, task management, and knowledge wikis. It offers real-time editing of rich content and seamless synchronization across devices.

**Highlights:** Privacy-first offline editor, Full Org mode support, Real-time rich content editing, Seamless synchronization, Integrated task management, Full-text search

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Metanote Premium | $1.99 | per month |
| Metanote Premium | $12.99 | per year |
| One-time purchase | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notebooks free?

Notebooks costs $17.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Metanote free?

Metanote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Notebooks or Metanote?

Notebooks is rated higher. Notebooks averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Metanote averages 4.3 from 15 ratings.

### Do Notebooks or Metanote have ads?

Neither Notebooks nor Metanote shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notebooks or Metanote?

Notebooks ships an update monthly, and Metanote every 2 weeks. Most recently, Notebooks was updated on October 29, 2026 and Metanote on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*